Round, oval or curved paperboard containers are commonly used in packaging a variety of articles such as bottles, cookies, confectionery, granular foodstuffs, potato chips and other such articles/items. The majority of these containers are manufactured in remote locations and shipped in a set up form to the point of product packing. In other cases expensive dedicated machinery is set up at the side of the packing operation to manufacture the containers and thus avoid the shipping costs and associated logistical problems.
Square or rectangular containers however are produced using folding carton technology and these containers are shipped flat to the point of packing. Such containers can be easily erected by hand or by simpler less expensive machinery.
GB 2 451 281 discloses a round or curved carton. This carton however has a complicated base structure which is difficult and costly to glue into its desired flat or knock down state.
GB 2 451 281 suffers from a weakness also in that it is possible to apply pressure from the base and push the base section back up inside the carton returning it partially or substantially to its knock down state.
GB 2 451 281 has a base which externally is made up of several independent panels. It is difficult to position graphical information on the base without having to use one or more of these panels. For images such as barcodes it is not possible to split the image over one or more panels. On very small diameters there is often insufficient space to position necessary text and this information has to be printed on the sidewall of the carton which is designed to be reserved for more pleasing imagery. GB 2 451 281 also discloses a less complicated base but this base suffers from certain weaknesses which the present invention overcomes.
It is therefore an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to obviate or overcome a disadvantage of the prior art, whether such prior art or disadvantage is referred to herein or otherwise.